


New Life

by Avistella



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, POV Second Person, Pregnancy, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 06:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13358655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Inigo recalls memories of all the people he's killed.





	New Life

With a sudden start, Inigo jolts awake, his eyes snapping wide open while his chest heaves with frantic and shallow breaths. There is only silence and darkness that greets him, but it is of a peaceful kind and not with the sense of unease that Inigo lived through for most of his life. As his breathing and heartbeat slows down to their usual pace, the young man starts to regain his bearings. He stares at the wooden cieling above him as he becomes more aware of the warmth of the figure lying by his side.

Exhaling a quiet breath, Inigo turns to his side to face you, his expression unreadable as he takes in the serenity of your features, your lips parted slightly as you breathe deeply in your sleep. Careful to avoid waking you, Inigo raises a hand to your face and trails his fingertips along your cheeks with a touch as light as a feather.

His eyes admire you for a moment, taking in all of your details. His hand then moves towards your stomach, his fingers curling to lie flat upon your baby bump that was starting to become more prominent as the days and weeks pass by. Slowly, the corners of Inigo's lips lift into a small smile as he gently rubs your stomach, a sort of silent greeting towards his and your child that he's more than eager to meet.

Even if he has dreamed of it before, the young man never thought that he would be able to see it through in actually settling down with someone and possibly raising a family. Living such a peaceful life like this was almost enough to make him forget the horrors he's seen and experienced to have made it this far, but of course, he can _never_ forget.

It's the reason why he's even awake right now, his dreams having been plagued with the regret and guilt that finally caught up to him for having killed all those people before him. _It was for a good cause. For humanity. For peace._ It's what he tells himself to get through the days, but sometimes he experiences doubts. Back in his own world that was destroyed, it was the living pitted against the dead, but after going back in time, he was forced to raise his sword against those that were alive. Those that just wanted to live in peace with their families and loved ones like how he's doing right now.

In that case, aren't his thoughts and actions hypocritical of him? Who was he to determine what peace was supposed to mean? Who was he to weigh and compare the struggles of the living from the past against those from the future he came from? Weren't both sides of the war fighting for the same thing? If so, why fight in the first place? If he had to cut down Risen, then so be it—at least then he could have convinced and fooled himself into believing that they were monsters that needed to be vanquished, but another living human being like him?

Before, he had fought to _protect_ the living, so why did he have to turn his sword against them? _Because they got in the way of peace._ Inigo has to remind himself as such lest he succumbs to his doubts. But then, was it all really worth it in the end? Did all the lives of those he and his allies killed amount to the same worth as peace?

Suddenly, Inigo feels very cold despite the warmth from your body, and his body trembles. His breathing is starting to pick up again now that he's trailed onto this train of thought, and his chest becomes painfully tight. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes, and the young man concludes that perhaps some fresh air might do him some good.

Inigo slips out of the bed quietly with ease, a talent he had honed from all those times he would sneak off into a secluded area to practice his dancing. He dips his head to place a light kiss on your baby bump, smiling wistfully against you before pulling the covers over your slumbering form and making sure you were warm. Inigo murmurs a quiet promise of being back soon, knowing you can't hear him but does so anyway out of habit. A habit of reassurance for himself of coming back alive.

The young man lovingly brushes your hair back and leans down to kiss your forehead. He then straightens himself up and makes to leave the house, not bothering to grab a coat or anything considering he'll only be out by the door for a few minutes. The night is full of life with the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves of trees, the air light and fresh as it lightly blows against Inigo's cheeks. It's a vast contrast from the war-torn future he came from.

Inigo stands there with heavy shoulders, tilting his head back to gaze at the stars. He knows it will only make him feel worse, but he starts to recall all the names and faces to the best of his abilities of the enemies felled by his sword. There's a shockingly large amount of names he's forgotten and faces he can't picture fully, and Inigo doesn't know if it's for the best or worst.

Time ticks by, and Inigo loses himself in his thoughts and guilt bubbling at his chest. He's so absorbed in his recollection that he doesn't hear the creak of the door behind him or your voice curiously calling out his name. It's only when you place a gentle hand on his arm from behind does he become aware of your presence and jumps in surprise.

Inigo swerves around to look at you, another wave of guilt washing over him as his expression contorts when he sees your utmost concern for him. He quickly recovers himself, however, an almost forced smile on his lips as he tucks a lock of your hair behind your ear. "What are you doing out here, my sweet?" He asks in his usual light and airy tone, but you know him well enough by now.

"Looking for you," you answer matter-of-factly before shooting the question back at him. "What about _you_?"

"Er..." your lover hesitates, his eyes darting to the side and averting his gaze before dropping his attention down to the ground. His answer comes out meek and vulnerable. "I was...thinking."

"About?"

Inigo grimaces. He was hoping to avoid having to talk about it, but there's really no choice now. Not when his thoughts and nightmares are starting to affect his life in the waking world. Remembering to muster up a smile, Inigo tries to answer in a nonchalant manner, "It's nothing to concern yourself over. I was just thinking about how...things were back then."

Somehow, you manage to catch sight of Inigo's fingers twitch as though to reach for his weapon out of habit, and you think you understand. "Do you mean with all the fighting?" You gently urge your lover to continue.

The young man's shoulders droop, bowing his head down low, and his entire body suddenly looks very heavy as he finally admits, "...Yes. All the fighting. The _killing_ —"

"Oh, my darling Inigo..." you breathe out as you reach your arms up to cup his hidden cheeks, unsurprised to find them wet with tears.

Inigo hiccups, and he feels so weak to be seen in such a state. The man feels your arms circle around him, pulling his figure into a loose embrace. No words are spoken, but it's fine. You understand him, and Inigo understands you. Your hands soothingly rub his back while his fingers clutch onto the fabric of your clothes, deeply breathing in your scent to anchor himself.

"Inigo..." you softly call his name to get his attention, and you both slowly pull apart from each other so that you can say what you need to say. "What happened in the past is in the past. It's not wrong to look back on it, but you shouldn't let it consume you. Not when you have me and your child who love and care for you..."

The aspiring dancer swallows, finding his throat to feel rather constricted as he looks down at your hands gently rubbing your stomach. It seems like that's the only reminder he needs, a genuine smile starting to grace his features. He doubts he can ever find an equal weight for all the lives he's taken, but he hopes that he can at least find some sense of atonement by making sure he looks after his child and raise them together with you to be a good person.

Inigo takes a few steps forward, reducing the distance between the two of you, and he carefully pulls you in for an appreciative kiss. When he pulls away, he shoots you a reassuring grin before bringing his gaze down to your baby bump. The man places his warm hand atop yours, the two of you eager to welcome the new bundle of joy into the family.


End file.
